Frame and attaching means for windows, screens or the like



March 30, 1965 v. F. TONNON 3,175,603

, FRAME AND ATTACHING MEANS FOR WINDOWS, SCREENS OR THE LIKE Filed NOV. 6, 1962 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,175,603 FRAME AND ATTACHING MEANS FOR WIN- DOWS, SCREENS OR THE LIKE Vincent F. Tonnon, 1538 Brentwood, Corpus Christi, Tex. Filed Nov. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 235,718 1 Claim. (Cl. 160107) This invention relates to an article of manufacture in the nature of sun, frost, or glare shields for window glass and has particular utility in the automotive field, although adaptable to other types of windows.

It has been heretofore proposed to support a shield, such as a flexible slitted shade screen or a plain plastic transparent panel, on a glass window by an adhesive material to serve as a sun shade or frost shield. Nevertheless, devices noW on the market are somewhat complicated from the standpoint of mass production, at least to the extent that the result is that they are more or less expensive for the intended purpose; they do not readily lend themselves to simple and convenient manufacturing procedures; and, on the whole, they are fragile in use.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a practical, sturdy, and inexpensive article of manufacture to serve as a sun shade, glare shield, or frost shield that can be easily produced in quantity and which has stability in use, and may also be readily and quickly applied in an emergency, or for continued standard use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive article due to the fact that it uses available materials which may be readily assembled in a novel manner and which otherwise may be expeditiously handled in commercial channels to effect wide distribution at minimum cost to so-called gas stations, hardware stores, automotive stores, and similar sources of customer convenience.

A further object is to provide a reversible article wherein juxtaposed sides of a pair of registering two-faced tacky contact tapes are of such width that approximately one-half thereof firmly embraces and covers the opposite marginal edges of the shield, whether a light gauge metal screen or plastic sheet. In this manner, not only do the inner faces of the tapes completely cover said edges, but also combine therewith to provide inherent adequate reinforcement to impart sufficient stiffness in handling and use. The edge portions of the tape beyond the edges of the shield are permanently bonded together. Thus, it will be seen that while portions of the juxtaposed faces of the tacky tape initially grip and adhere to the shield, the outer exposed sides normally are covered by a peeler tape. Thus, if the adhesive on one side fails, in use, as for example, due to exposure to heat, the peeler tape on the initially non-exposed-tape may be removed and the shield reversed. If the otherwise exposed and deteriorated side still has some tackiness that would cause clothing to adhere, the peeled tape from the fresh side can be replaced on the used side.

A still further object is to provide an article as heretofore described wherein the contact tape constitutes a frame for the panel and areas intermediate the edges of the panel are reinforced by contact tapes disposed transversely of the panel to prevent sagging, and also in the case of an impervious transparent panel provide a multiplicity of dead air chambers to constitute a frost shield.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

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FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a shield embodying the present improvements.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, with parts opened up to better illustrate the construction.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, like FIGURE 3, but illustrates a modification wherein the peeler tape is omitted from one side of the frame and a transparent sheet is bonded at its edges directly to the tacky surface.

FIGURE 5 is a detail section illustrating the application of the article.

FIGURE 6 is a detail perspective view of a frost shield where the panel is transparent and transverse strips provide dead air spaces.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to FIGURES 1-3, the panel A is preferably of suitable material which will provide a sun shade and at the same time not completely obstruct the view.

The panel is provided at all of its edges with a series of adhesive strips which form a frame B completely surrounding the panel. These strips are of the adhesive contact type wherein the tacky adhesive material 1 has its outer or exposed sides provided with peeler strips 2. As will be apparent from FIGURES 3, 4, and 5, the tacky adhesive contact portions 1 of the strips have approximately the lower half of their longitudinal edges em bracing and secured to the related edge of the panel, while the portion of the adhesive strips beyond the panel are bonded together so that no portion of the panel A is exposed.

It will be understood that the adhesive contact strips are thus placed at all edges of the panel with the peeler side facing outwardly, as shown for example in FIG. 2. Thus, when it is desired to attach the article to a window pane, it is only necessary to remove the peeler strips 2 from the side of the article to be pressed against the window glass and press the entire unit against the face of said glass. By pressing the strips against the edges of the panel and also bonding them together, the frame and panel become integrated to thus impart reinforcing stiffness to the entire panel. This not only faciliates handling because of the fact that, after manufacture only the nonadhesive sides of the peeler strips are exposed, none of the units will cling to the other, but it also provides a reserve side for possible future use.

As pointed out above, the tacky side of the strips which is affixed to the window glass may, because of heat or other conditions, become soft and tend to slide on the panel. This would happen only on rare occasions, because the tacky material now used has no flowable characteristics. However, if it does deteriorate, it is simply necessary to remove the previously exposed peeler strips from the side not attached to the glass and place them over the area where the strips are tacky when removed from the glass. This prevents clothing from sticking to the panel after it has been replaced.

FIGURES 1 and 3 of the drawings illustrate a unit which is primarily intended to be a sun shade. However, as will be seen from FIGURE 2, where the entire unit is intended to be of relatively large area as for example the rear window of an automobile, the panel may be provided with spaced transverse strips 3, 4, to prevent sagging of the medial portions of the panel as well as to afford greater areas of grip on the glass. These transverse strips extend from the inner edge of one frame strip to the other. Thus, for example, when the tacky side 1 of the tape in FIGURE 2 and the strip 4 are exposed because the peeler strips 2 and 4 have been removed, the tacky portion 3 of the strips will stick to the glass in addition to the strips constituting the peripheral frame.

According to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that the panel A is provided with the contact strips 1' and peeler strips 2, the same as in FIGURES, 1, 2 and 3, but, at one side of the unit, the tacky contact strip 1 does not have a peeler strip. Instead, the'sun shade'area ofthepanel is provided on one sidewith a transparent sheet which is coextensive with the external dimensions of the entire frame.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the application of the invention to a glass Window W. The panel A is secured directly to the surface of the glass by theremoval'of the inner one of the peeler strips. The outer .peeler tape 2 is, of course, still'in its original position.

FIGURE'6 shows a frostshieldwhereinthe panel A is transparent and its opposite edges are embraced'by and between the tacky strips 1, with outer peeler strips 2. In this case, the transverse partition strips 3 have their tacky sides directly secured tothe panel A', and when the outer peeler strips 4 are removed, the tacky sides of these strips as Well as the. strips forming the frame are pressed against the glass to provide a plurality of spaced dead air cells.

From the foregoing, it will now be seen that the present invention lends itself to convenient manufacture procedures in the respect that the panels A or A may be readily stampedfrom sheet material, and thereafter the combined contact and peeler strips may be placed around the edges-of the panel as previously. described. In this state, the entire unit'is subjected to suitable pressure, as for example by being passedthrough soft rollers or by a simple plunger-type press operation.

In practice, it has been shown that the tacky strips adhere to the edges of the panel so firmly, regardless of the type of material, that the bondis indestructible under normal and severe use.

I claim:

, As an article of manufacture, asun, frost and glare shield for attachment to a window glass comprising in combination,

(a) a shade screen,

(b) a frame secured to said screen and extending around its peripheral edges on both faces thereof, (0) said frame comprising adjacent strips of compressible material having a pressure-sensitive adhesive on both surfaces thereof, the inner surface of. said strips engaging the peripheral edgesof saidscreen,

(d) said (frame disposed relative to the peripheral edges of 'said screen such that the outermost portions of said frame extend beyond the edges of said screen and are adhesively secured to eachother while the innermost portions of said frame engage opposite faces of said screen, thus enclosing the edges of the screen and providinga substantially rigid peripheral frame structure,

.(e) a protective peeler' strip secured to the outer surface of the adhesive strips on one side of said frame,

(f) a transparent panel; co-extensive with the frame and secured 'to'the outer surface of the adhesive strips,

on the other side of-the frame,

(g) and a plurality. of. reinforcing strips, adhesively securedto opposite, faces of said screen transversely thereof and spaced'from each other, those strips on one side of said screen also being. adhesively secured to said transparent panel and those strips on the other side of said screenhavinga protective 'peeler strip secured thereover;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,249,927 Abramson July 22, 1941 2,267,542 Walz Dec. 23, 1941 2,359,347 Woodman Oct. 3, 1944 2,377,449 Prevette June 5, 1945 2,514,316 Dobrin- July 4', 1950 3,048,897 Slade Aug. 14, 1962 

